Bottle-cap remover.



B. 5. FOWLER. BOTTLE CAP REMOVEH. APPLICATION FILED FEB-1.1916- RENEWED MAR. 19,1919.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

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BENJAMIN F. FOWLER, F DEINNEEEOLIS, IEIHNESDTA, ASSIGNQR TO THE VI'ONDER SPECIALTY MANUFACTURING OGEIPAETY, INCURIFGRATED, OF ST. PAUL, MINNE- SOTA, A CORPORATIGN.

BOTTLE-CAT? BETvIOVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

Application filed February 1, 1916, Serial No. 15,540. Renewed March 19, 1919. Serial No. 283,663.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. FOWLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of l-lennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Cap Removers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make. and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in bottle openers, particularly those adapted for removing paper caps from milk bottles.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a device of this character which can be applied to any milk bottle and the cap quicklyand easily removed therefrom.

An additional object is to provide a simply constructed device which while being very ellicient in operation, can be very inexpensively manufactured.

With the above and other objects in view my invention consists of certain novel features'of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts which will herein after he more particularly described and claimed and shown in the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 represents a transverse section of theupper end of the milk bottle showing the application of my invention thereto;

Fig.2 is a detail perspective view of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing a slightly modified form.

The preferred form of my invention as shown in Figs. 1 and. 2 comprises a support to be applied to a mill; bottle B upon which the bottle closure or cap lifting means is fulcrumed. This support in the present in stance consists of a resilient clip 1 formed of a single piece of spring wire bent into substantially U-shape as shown, the arms 2 thereof being adapted to encircle and tightly clasp the neck of the bottle when the device is applied, the ends of these arms being slightly offset to facilitate the engagement thereof with the bottle. The intermediate portion of this clip is offset outwardly to provide a U-shaped portion 3 upon the cross bar a on which a lever 6 is fulcrumed.

This lever has its lower end ofiset slightly to provide a finger piece 7 while its upper end is bent laterally to form an arm 8 which is disposed over the mouth of the bottle. The lever is bent upon itself midway its ends to form a loop 9, the arms thereof being bent outwardly as shown, said loop surrounding the cross bar a of the ofi set portion. This arrangement provides a very simple yet extremely effective means for fulcruming the closure removably upon the support.

The free end of the arm 8 is provided with a depending spur 10 formed integrally therewith and which is adapted to pierce the paper cap C which forms a closure for the bottle 3. As the spur is necessarily pointed to facilitate its puncturing of the cup, means must be provided for retaining said cap thereon so that it may be removed. This is accomplished in a very simple manner by notching one edge of the spur 10 as shown at 11 and by providing a cam 12 on the other edge opposite said notch 11. When the spur is forced through the paper cap, the cam 12 causes the same to move laterally and thus causes the notch 11 to receive the thickness of the cap or a portion thereof therein, and thus effectively hold the closure or cap C until it is forcibly removed therefrom.

In operation, th resilient clip 1 is forced around the neck of the bottle which is to be opened, thus disposing the arm 8 over the cap C, whereupon the linger piece 7 is forced outwardly away from the bottle to cause the spur 10 to pierce the bottle cap. ll hen the spur has entered the paper cap L its notch becomes engaged therewith, the

piece is forced in the reverse direction, that is toward the bottle, thus moving {1' e arm. 8 upwardly which carries with it the cap C as shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 3 l haveshown a slightly modified form of my invention, the chief difierences residing in the means for fulcruming t-l e closure remover to its support. The

support consisting of the resilient clip 1' is substantially the same as the first menfulcrumed. In this case, however, instead of bending'the lever to form a loop for encircling the cross bar A, I provide a strap 13 which is secured to the inner side of the lever 6 by the rivets 14c or other preferred forms of fastening. These rivets extend through the strap adjacent its ends and in the intermediate portion thereof is provided a loop or journal 15 which receives the cross bar 4 of the resilient clip. This means also provides a very simple arrangement for mounting the lever 6 to the support.

From the foregoing description of the construction and operation of the device, it

will be readily seen that I have invented an extremely simple and efficient bottle closure remover which with slight modifications could be used on other forms of receptacles than milk bottles. The improved form of support which is used is not only extremely simple in its construction but it is obvious that it is very efficient in retaining the bottle closure to the arm 8 so that it can be readily removed. It will also be seen that this improved form of support could readily be used on other types of openers than that illustrated and work with equal facility.

I claim as my invention:

1. A closure remover comprising a clip to take around the neck of a bottle at a point below the usual bead, a lever fulcrumed substantially midway its length thereto, the portion above the fulcrum point being extended vertically and then horizontally over the mouth of the bottle, said lever being curved upwardly at the juncture of the vertical and horizontal portions to clear said bead, a finger piece on the lower end of said lever, and a depending rigid spur on the free end of said horizontal portion to pierce the closure, and remove the same.

2. A closure remover to be mounted on a receptacle having a closure, a support, a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends to said support and having a finger piece on one end, and a spur for engagement with the closure on the other, said spur having a notch in one edge thereof and means for forcing said spur laterally when the closure is pierced to cause the notch to receive the thickness of the closure or a portion thereof.

3. In a closure remover to be mounted on a receptacle having a closure, a support, a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends to said support and having a finger piece on one end, and a spur for engagement with the closure on the other, said spur having a notch in one edge thereof, and a cam on the other edge opposite said notch, whereby the spur is forced laterally when the closure is pierced to cause the notch to receive the thickness of the closure or a portion thereof.

4:. In a device of the class described, a clip adapted for engagement with the neck of a receptacle having a closure, a lever fulcrumed substantially midway its length to said clip, said lever having its upper free end curved laterally and downwardly and then directed horizontally to form an arm, the free end of said arm being bent downwardly to form a rigid spur for engagement with the closure of the receptacle.

5. In a closure remover to be mounted on a receptacle having a closure, a resilient clip for engagement with the receptacle, the intermediate portion of said clip being provided with a U shaped offset portion, a lever fulcrumed to the cross piece of said U-shaped portion, a finger piece formed on one end of said lever, a lateral arm extending from said lever over said closure, and means on the free end of said lateral arm for piercing said closure and removing the same.

6. In a closure remover to be mounted on a receptacle having a closure, a resilient clip for engagement with the receptacle, the intermediate portion of said clip being provided with a U shaped offset portlon, a lever bent upon itself to form a loop receiving the cross piece of said ofiset portion to fulcrum said lever to said clip, one end of said lever forming a finger piece, a lateral arm extending from the other end of said lever over said closure, and means on the free end of said lateral arm for piercing said closure and removing the same.

7. In a closure remover to be mounted on a receptacle having a closure, a resilient clip for engagement with the receptacle, a lever fulcrumed thereto, a finger piece on one end of said lever, a lateral arm extending from said lever over said closure, a spur on the end of said arm for engagement with said closure, and means on said spur to retain the same in engagement with said closure after piercing the same.

8. A closure remover having a closure engaging spur, said spur having straight sides converging to form a point and being provided with'a transverse notch on one of its converging sides and spaced from the point, and a cam on the other side of said spur opposite said notch and disposed beyond the plane of said other side, whereby the spur is forced laterally when the closure is pierced to cause the notch to receive said closure.

9. The combination with a receptacle hav-.

ing an annular groove in the upper end of its mouth and a closure therefor seated in said groove; of a closure remover comprising a support on the neck of said receptacle,

a lever fulcrumed intermediate its ends to crum point of said lever will act as a fulsaid support, a horizontally directed arm crum for the closure as it is removed. formed on the upper end of said lever and In testimony whereof I have hereunto set extending to a point near the edge of the 010- my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 5 sure reni iote from the fulcrum point of the nesses.

lever a n er iece on the lower end 0 said lever: the a l ords said arm having a spur on its BENJAMIN FOmER' end to pierce and retain the closure on said Witnesses: arm, whereby when the remover is operated, A. C. MIDDLESTADT,

10 the portion of the groove adjacent the ful- N. L. ANDERSON. 

